TWO independent cafes in Oxford have won praise for avoiding the use of plastic.

On Friday Oxfordshire Action on Plastic Pollution will award certificates and seven stars to the top cafes in the city for plastic avoidance, Turl Street Kitchen and Jericho Coffee Traders in High Street.

Oxfordshire APP surveyed over 50 cafes in Oxford and Abingdon to see how they were reducing plastic use.

Reponses ranged from those who were unaware of the issues to those who were already making strenuous efforts to reduce their plastic use.

Many cafes did not stock plastic straws or used compostable coffee cups, mainly made from plant starch.

But some used paper coffee cups with plastic linings.

Hazel Dawe, plastics survey organiser, said: “We would like to congratulate these cafes on their achievement and encourage them, and others, to do more to reduce plastic use until single use plastic is eliminated in Oxfordshire.”

Oxford Friends of the Earth and other environmental campaigning groups have launched the anti-pollution group in a bid to reduce plastic use.